Noise and vibration risk assessment template

Noise and vibration often come from the same work, but they are different exposures and need separate decisions. A breaker can create hazardous noise and hand-arm vibration. A ride-on machine may expose its driver to noise and whole-body vibration. This worksheet helps a Great Britain employer identify who uses which equipment, for how long, on which task and with what evidence, then record controls and a review. It does not calculate a worker's daily exposure from a tool name alone. Use competent measurements, representative data and official assessment methods where needed.

HSE's noise guidance says an exposure estimate must represent the work people actually do and the way it varies. HSE's vibration introduction distinguishes hand-arm vibration (HAV) from whole-body vibration (WBV), and requires employers to assess and control risks. Treat a combined form as an organising aid, not as a single score that hides three different hazards. Northern Ireland requires a separate legal review.

Identify the work and affected people

List each noisy or vibrating activity, equipment make/model, material, attachment, site location and worker group. Record normal and peak periods, the number of shifts, the worker's actual trigger time on a hand-held tool and other tools used the same day. A whole shift near a machine is not necessarily the same as a whole shift operating it; conversely, several short bursts can add up. Include cleaners, maintenance staff, contractors and neighbouring workers if they share the exposure. Ask the people doing the task where they experience the highest noise, shocks or prolonged gripping.

Noise should be assessed at the worker's ear for the real work pattern, including multiple sources and peak events. Vibration exposure needs the tool or vehicle's representative vibration magnitude and actual duration. Supplier declarations can be useful but may not reflect worn tools, different materials or site practice. A competent assessor should decide whether measurement, reliable comparable data or an official calculator is appropriate. Do not enter “85 dB” or “2.5 m/s²” just because those are regulatory action values; they are not measurements of this job.

Noise: estimate exposure, then reduce it

The Control of Noise at Work Regulations guidance from HSE identifies lower daily/weekly exposure action value at 80 dB(A) and upper at 85 dB(A); peak sound-pressure action values and exposure limits also apply. These are personal-exposure benchmarks, not a promise that every machine rated below one number is safe. Workers may move among tools and noisy areas, and impulsive noise needs separate attention. A competent assessment should state the data source, estimated daily or weekly exposure, peak concerns, assumptions and uncertainty.

Start by reducing noise at source: change process, choose quieter equipment, maintain tools, enclose or isolate the source, improve layout or schedule noisy work away from others. If exposure remains, use hearing protection selected for the actual noise, fitted and worn properly, with hearing-protection zones and health surveillance where required. Protection should not be so excessive that workers cannot hear essential warnings. The assessment should name who chooses and checks these controls; “ear defenders supplied” is not proof that exposure has been adequately controlled.

For a variable site, do not rely on one five-minute reading from a quiet period. HSE's noise risk page calls for representative estimates and competent information, and recommends review when work changes. A new blade, material, enclosure or shift pattern can change exposure.

Hand-arm vibration: count the actual tool use

HAV can arise from breakers, grinders, hammer drills, sanders, chainsaws and other hand-held or hand-guided tools. It can damage nerves, blood vessels, muscles and joints. HSE's HAV risk guidance says the assessment should identify workers and processes with regular exposure and involve the people doing the work. For HAV, the daily exposure action value is 2.5 m/s² A(8) and the limit is 5 m/s² A(8) under the current GB guidance: HSE employer responsibilities. The values account for both vibration magnitude and exposure duration across tools; they are not a safe duration to copy into every RAMS.

Collect representative magnitude and trigger-time data for each tool. The HSE HAV calculator guidance explains how to combine partial exposures and compare the daily total with action/limit values. Do not calculate from a guessed time or use the wrong manufacturer's declared emission number without understanding its relevance to real use. Control risk by changing process, selecting lower-vibration equipment, keeping cutters sharp and machinery maintained, reducing unnecessary grip force, improving work organisation and limiting exposure where needed. Gloves for warmth may help circulation but should not be represented as a reliable vibration-reduction measure.

Where workers face continuing HAV risk, plan appropriate information, training and health surveillance with occupational-health input. The worker should know to report tingling, numbness, loss of grip or other symptoms early. Health information should be handled confidentially; the public risk-assessment form needs only the management decision and a reference to the protected health record, not a diagnosis.

Whole-body vibration: assess vehicles separately

WBV is commonly associated with driving or operating plant over rough ground and shocks through the seat. It can contribute to back pain, alongside posture and manual-handling factors. HSE's WBV overview advises employers to assess and reduce risk through suitable vehicles, seating, route conditions, maintenance, speed and work organisation. A hand-tool HAV calculation does not cover a dumper or tractor driver. Use a distinct WBV assessment if the site has vehicle exposure, and consider road/haul-route conditions and jolts rather than only average operating time.

For a mobile-plant task, coordinate with the mobile plant assessment. That assessment handles collision, ground and machine movement; this form handles occupational exposure. A machine can be safe from collision yet cause excessive health exposure over repeated shifts.

Copy-and-complete combined worksheet

One form may cover a defined task and worker group, but keep noise, HAV and WBV evidence separate. Add rows for each tool, machine and exposure pattern. Unknown exposure data are a reason to obtain reliable information, not to tick “low”.

Decision: record whether the evidence is adequate, which action values may be reached, what controls are already effective, what additional controls are required and whether work must pause or change while information is obtained. Do not use “PPE worn” as the only noise decision or “rotate workers” as the only vibration decision. Controls should be checked at the workplace, not merely written down.

Briefing and review: record the version, reviewer, worker briefing, monitoring/health-surveillance referral as applicable and date for checking whether controls worked. Reassess after new equipment, a different material, longer trigger time, an altered vehicle route, maintenance defects, worker symptoms or a new exposure estimate. HSE recommends reviewing noise and HAV assessments when circumstances change and periodically even if no change is obvious.

Example: repair crew using breaker and grinder

A crew breaks concrete for part of a morning and then cuts steel with a grinder. The assessor lists both tools, their actual trigger times and representative vibration data. The noisy work is assessed for the full work pattern, including nearby workers who are not holding the tools. A lower-noise breaking method, cutting area segregation and tool maintenance are considered before reliance on hearing protectors. The HAV calculation combines the breaker and grinder for each worker rather than treating each tool as a separate day. If the grinder time rises unexpectedly or a worn cutting wheel changes vibration, the supervisor pauses and checks whether the earlier assessment still applies. No one writes a universal “30-minute safe limit” into the RAMS.

Links and product boundary

The broad Complys RAMS guide owns the general combined-document question. This page provides a health-exposure worksheet. The manifest requires the /rams pillar and /risk-assessment-software money page; verify their canonical host, current content and actual product implementation before placing final links. Do not claim Complys measures noise, calculates HAV or provides medical surveillance unless the deployed product proves it. CTA: use the completed competent assessment to choose controls and keep the approved version with the task record in the organisation's verified system.

Source, claim and writer-side QA register

Intent/cannibalisation: a task-specific worksheet covering three exposure types while keeping calculations separate, distinct from a generic RAMS or a specialist HSE calculator. No exact indexed Complys noise-and-vibration template owner was found on observed hosts on 5 October 2026; repo and in-flight check remains. Product truth: no measurement, calculation, diagnosis, trial or price claim. Links: verified RAMS pillar, risk-assessment money page and N5-056 when live. CTA: evidence management only. Writer-side QA: primary sources, GB terminology, useful form, legal values and boundaries checked; competent occupational-hygiene, product and canonical review is required before publication.